A Critical Study of Islamic Modernism in the Perspectives of Contemporary Religious Scholarship

Abstract

The article critically investigates the issue of Islamic modernism in the perspectives of contemporary religious scholars of the Muslim world. Modernity is a historical, philosophical, social, cultural and literary concept which deviated from the classical religious traditions. Modernity and tradition are contradictory attitudes, styles and attitudes, and have been in conflict for fourteen centuries. Tradition connects the Muslims of every age emotionally and spiritually with the age of Prophethood through the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah. The article aims to explore the modern religious scholarship in the Muslim history who promoted the Islamic modernism. It differentiates between the secular and materialistic contents of modernity from the traditional religious thoughts. It shows that the classical Islamic approach does not advocate the unbridled and deviated religious thoughts of Islamic modernism. The religious, social and economic practices of modern western civilization do not align with that of Islam. The article concludes that the Islamic modernism is acceptable if it aligns with the classical religious approach and does not deviate from the traditional approach.